Gigantic plans: Moscow to double in size

Moscow. Russia's capital city is to grow even bigger, at least territorially. An expansion to the south of Moscow was agreed with the regions. Two million people are to move. The program will cost billions.

Moscow's Governor Sergeij Sobyanin and his colleague Boris Gromov from the Moscow region unveiled their plans for the administrative reform of the capital city's regions. According to these plans Moscow will grow especially in the South. This is where the Russian Capital city will expand to, close to the city of Podolsk. But also the West will see an increase.

Moscow currently covers an area of 107,000 hectares but is supposed to grow to 251,000 hectare. This is more than double of its current size.

Medvedev encourages regional reform

The regional reform was initiated by President Dmitri Medvedev. He requested the expansion of Moscow and the resettlement of ministries, authorities and officials from the centre of Moscow.

The most likely location for a civil servant ghetto is currently Rublijovo Arkhangelskoye, west of Moscow, where billionaire Suleiman Kerimov had planned to build a city for millionaires - after all, the millionaire mile Rublyovka is nearby.

luxury ghetto for top officials and business elite

The planned International Financial center is supposed to be located here. According to the experts a town for 200,000 inhabitants is to be built at this point. As well as the army of officials and their families, service personal has settle there too.

As the business elite traditionally wants to be close to political decision makers it is expected, that many oligarchs and people who want to become one, will be looking for a suitable place in Rubljovo-Archangelskoje. It is estimated that this fourth satellite city will cost around € 5,6 billion.

The extension to the south of Moscow will cost € 70 billion

Many more people are to be relocated to the South of Moscow. The plan is to build 60 million square meter living space and 45 million square meter of social infrastructure. Construction costs alone are valued to amount to the equivalent of around € 70 billion, according to Managing Director of property management Trinfico.

The extremely expensive expansion proposal convinced many Russian experts. Mikhail Blinkin, director of the Institute of Transport Economics welcomes particularly the road transport proposals. Moscow will move away from its traditional ring road system in favour of a orthogonal (rectangular) system which should bring relief to the city center.

Ideally the expansion to the south of Moscow will be completed in 2020, estimates Blinkin. However Moscow will need outside help. For Financing, planning and the implementation of the plans Moscow hopes to welcome foreign experts and investors.